A 22-year-old man from Zephyrhills was found dead in Lake Tarpon on Sunday morning, two days after disappearing during a test drive of a boat, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.
David Christopher Wilson Jr was last seen on Friday, September 25, after taking an 18-foot Carolina Skiff on to the lake from Boat and Motor Supercenters in Palm Harbor, where he worked.
He had set out at about 5.15pm to test the boat following engine repairs but failed to return. Deputies were called roughly an hour later, at about 6.15pm, when the vessel was discovered drifting near Juniper Bay, close to Lansbrook Lakefront Park, with nobody aboard.
Search for missing Lake Tarpon boater
The sheriff’s office launched an aerial search while marine-unit deputies searched the water on Friday evening. Operations were suspended at about 11pm and resumed the following day.
East Lake Fire Rescue, Palm Harbor Fire Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also joined the search, but there was no sign of Wilson during Saturday’s efforts.
Recovery teams returned to Lake Tarpon on Sunday, September 27. Wilson was located at about 7.12am and his body was recovered from the water.
The sheriff’s office said the incident appeared to have been accidental. Wilson’s next of kin has been informed.
The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office is due to carry out an autopsy to establish the cause and manner of death. The investigation remains ongoing.
